50 pages • 1 hour read
Michele MarineauRoad to Chlifa
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1992A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Character Analysis
Karim Nakad
Karim is a seventeen-year-old boy from Beirut, Lebanon.He is handsome: tall and thin, with dark skin, black hair, and delicate features. In Beirut, before the beginning of intensified violence, Karim is a diligent student preparing for his baccalaureate exam at a lycée. He is shy, well-mannered, and always tells the truth. However, his perspective begins to change as violence breaks out and his crush, Nada, dies. His relationship with twelve-year-old Maha opens his mind to new possibilities: he begins to question the value of always doing the “right” thing, to see the multi-faceted and elusive nature of truth, and to feel real anger at the state of warfare in his country. When he finds himself groping Maha in the night, he is ashamed of himself, but also realizes that his very shame has made him act towards her with further cruelty.
When Maha dies, Karim is devastated by the loss of his now-beloved companion and friend, as well as his inability to right things between them. Upon his arrival in Montreal, he is disconnected from the world, except for Maha’s infant brother, Jad. On a class ski trip, however, Dave and his friends’ violation of classmate My-Lan shocks him back into awareness. After beating Dave and ending up in the hospital, he is able to reflect on his journey. Conversations with My-Lan demonstrate to him that many high school students have stories of intense suffering. Now, less shy, less committed to the truth, and more aware of the preciousness of life, Karim is intent on living his life and on passing his story on to Jad.
Maha Tabbara
Maha is a precocious, intelligent twelve-year-old, the middle child in a family of three children. She is small for her age, and does not appear to have hit puberty. She has straight black hair and unusually large eyes. She is a rebel who smokes cigarettes and is known by her mother and local women as a “bad seed.” She is also a caring sister who tends to her baby brother, Jad, before and after her family’s death. She is jealous of her older sister, Nada, for her beauty and femininity, and also feels ashamed by that jealousy. Fiercely independent, Maha plans to journey across the mountain with Jad rather than risk separation at an orphanage. Maha is aware of life’s complexities, and repeatedly tells Karim that a statement and its opposite can both be true at different moments. Although Maha’s worldview is incredibly complex given her years, she holds out hope that true peace is possible, as is evidenced by her attachment to the medieval unicorn tapestry postcard. Even this attachment, though, reveals her deep understanding: she knows that the unicorn’s soul hurts by looking into its eyes. She says she will guard this postcard—and her dream of peace—until her dying day; it is implied that she does just that.
My-Lan
My-Lan is a seventeen-year-old immigrant who arrived in Montreal three years prior to the events of the novel. She has straight black hair that reminds Karim of Maha. She saw her older sister die in the war in her home country. She is described by Sandrine as incredibly sheltered by her parents when it comes to boys. When Dave and the other boys molest her, she is shocked and frightened. She is grateful for Karim’s rescue, and visits him in the hospital. My-Lan initially interprets Karim’s quietness as personal dislike for her, but as he opens up, she comes to understand his affection and to share her past and pain with him.
Nada Tabbara
Nada is a beautiful seventeen-year-old who appears to be perfectly ladylike. Described as having huge, sparkling eyes and a curvaceous figure, Karim initially assumes that she is sheltered by her conservative parents and innocent when it comes to sex. However, Maha reveals that Karim and others misunderstood Nada. Her diary revealed that she thought Karim was “too perfect,” and that she had enjoyed kisses from other boys. She did not take care of her baby brother, Jad; it is implied that she was more complex and less wholesome than her appearance belied.
Antoine Milad
Antoine Milad is a friend of Karim’s father, a Christian, and a journalist living on the East side of Beirut. He has a tall frame, a Roman nose, and gray hair. He is a loyal friend to Karim’s family, and savvy enough to trick the guards when he hears word that Karim and Maha need his help. With a generous spirit, he helps Karim and Maha plan their route. An adventurer, he tells the two that he would go with them if not for his sick mother.
Béchir
Béchir is Karim’s childhood friend, and also a student. He is somewhat bolder than Karim, and encourages him to pursue Nada. After immigrating to France, he adjusts more easily than Karim, and encourages Karim to look on the bright side, rather than dwelling in discontent.
